


A Suitable Specimen

by balancingbookact



Category: Re-Animator (Movies)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Herbert is an ass, M/M, a weird courtship on both parts, dan is a smitten kitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-01-13
Packaged: 2021-02-19 00:33:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22235698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/balancingbookact/pseuds/balancingbookact
Summary: Herbert West is new in town and needs some help with his experiments. Dan Cain is just the right kind of man he needs. But how does one entice a fellow med student to practice science of dubious morality? Why, play into his obvious crush of course.
Relationships: Daniel Cain/Herbert West
Comments: 24
Kudos: 175





	A Suitable Specimen

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing came to being through discord conversations about Herbert seducing Dan to bring him over to his side of thinking. Need an assistant? Get flirty. It was equally fun to think about Dan being instantly taken with Herbert despite him being clearly deranged, and Herbert trying his hand at flirting.
> 
> Enjoy!

Herbert could tell from the moment he laid eyes on Dan Cain that he was just the man Herbert was looking for. Capable, intelligent, well-liked among his fellow students and the darling of the faculty; oh yes, he would do quite nicely.

It was difficult for Herbert to admit to himself that he was struggling. On his own there was only so much he could accomplish, especially in Arkham. He was the new kid in town with nothing but his name, no resources at his disposal and no Gruber to guide him. It was a bitter pill to swallow but if he was to continue with his life’s work he’d need assistance. _Dan’s_ assistance.

How to go about it was the problem. Herbert contemplated his options in class, rolling a pencil between his teeth as Dr. Cartwright droned on about treatment options for syphilis. Perhaps he could try to pose the question of immortality to Dan in some kind of ethical debate? Or volunteer to assist him in a class to establish a mentor dynamic? Maybe he could-

Herbert felt a tap on his shoulder and whipped around, pencil clenched between his teeth.

“Uh, hey.” None other than Dan Cain stared back at him, his pearly white teeth showing in a lopsided smile. “Could I borrow a pencil? Totally forgot mine.” He laughed under his breath and wiggled his hands, which were indeed empty.

A snappish remark was ready on Herbert’s lips—was he really smart enough to get into medical school but dumb enough to forget to bring a writing utensil to class?—but he halted when he noticed Dan’s Adam’s apple bob. Like a flower unfurling in the rays of a Spring sun, the implications bloomed beautifully in Herbert’s mind. Carefully, he removed the pencil from his mouth, tracking the way Dan’s eyes flickered down to watch, and held it out, point-first, to him. Dan took it, blinking a few times but keeping his boyish smile.

Yes, it was clear to Herbert that Dan’s amicable nature in hand with his good looks had charmed him through an easy life. He could see him perfectly as though Dan’s entire being were laid out in front of him in a photo album. The golden boy, the home-coming king, always with the prettiest girl on his arm. And here he was with his eyes glued to Herbert’s mouth. How interesting.

Herbert smiled back at Dan, keeping his lips pressed together. “It’s only a loan. You’ll have to find me after class.” He drew his hand away but brushed Dan’s fingers with his own, just barely.

“I will,” Dan said, grinning even wider now, and Herbert turned back around.

He drew his back-up pencil from his pocket and imagined those big, brown eyes staring at the back of his head.

Dan, Herbert found as they walked through the hospital halls, liked to ask questions. Normally this would excite Herbert, and he could talk endlessly about any given topic to a keen audience. Unfortunately, the topic Dan was interested in was Herbert himself.

“So you were studying in Switzerland?” he asked, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

God.

A doctor wearing _jeans_.

“Yes,” Herbert replied curtly.

“What was it like there?”

“Cold.”

Dan laughed though Herbert didn’t see what was so funny about it. “And you studied under that Hans Gruber guy?”

“That’s right.”

“What’s he like?”

“Dead.”

“Oh.” Herbert almost smiled as Dan stumbled, both over his words and his shoelaces. “Uh, I’m sorry to hear that. That must’ve been hard for yo-“

“Don’t mention it,” Herbert interrupted. As they rounded the corner the ceilings vaulted up to the skylight several floors up. He could see attendants and patients coming and going, knowing exactly where they were supposed to be. “Hm. I’m afraid Dean Halsey’s little tour will do me no good. I’ll be lost in this place in minutes.”

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Dan’s face light up. Herbert bit on the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. It was almost pitiful how easy Dan was to read.

“Oh, well I could help you out. Take you wherever you need to go,” Dan clarified, folding his arms then immediately unfolding them and shoving his hands back in his pockets. “I know this place like the back of my hand.”

“How helpful of you, Dan,” Herbert remarked and Dan shrugged, smiling and glancing away, almost shyly. Herbert took a mental note:

_Responds to praise._

“It’s no problem,” Dan said and Herbert nodded.

“Well, how lucky am I to have met you?”

The pink colour dusting Dan’s cheeks was quite pretty.

Over the next week Herbert spent more time with Dan than he’d spent with anyone he’d met besides Gruber. Dan walked him everywhere, even though Herbert knew the hospital floor plan now, and sat beside him in all the classes they shared together, always asking him for a pencil with a lopsided grin. Herbert wanted to tell him that he wasn’t being cute and he should get his own fucking pencils, but he didn’t say that because, as he continued to remind himself, he was trying to get on Dan’s good side. Though it didn’t look like he had to try particularly hard in that department.

Herbert’s experience with romance was practically non-existent but it didn’t take a Casanova to see that Dan clearly had an interest in him. And it was decidedly not professional. Herbert was constantly catching him staring, the excuses Dan gave to spend time together were laughable, and he even offered to pay for Herbert’s lunch in the cafeteria. Unprompted.

Yes, Herbert may have been vision-impaired but he wasn’t blind.

This was good news; if Dan was to assist Herbert, twisting his little school-girl crush to fit him more easily around his finger would make things much easier. The question was a matter of timing. He had to be sure Dan was ready when he unveiled his discovery to him. Some minds wouldn’t be able to comprehend just what he had accomplished and he needed to be certain Dan was cut from the same cloth as him.

He was pondering this on a Wednesday afternoon when Dan slumped into the library, looking much like one of the corpses he spent his time pushing around the morgue. Dan all but fell into the chair beside Herbert, his forehead thumping against the oak tabletop. When he didn’t move Herbert gently closed his book and nudged Dan’s leg with the point of his shoe under the table.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Dan turned his head and Herbert saw his eyes were swollen and bloodshot.

“Jean Withers,” Dan said hoarsely. “She died. Just all of a sudden went into cardiac arrest. I- _We_ tried to save her but she just…wouldn’t come back.”

Realisation dawned on Herbert as Dan lifted his head up enough to scrub his eyes some more. Herbert could appreciate Dan’s grief but he’d read Jean Withers’ file. Inoperable brain tumour. Confined to her bed. Steady decline in health over the last few months. She was terminal. What did Dan expect?

“Hayes says I care too much,” Dan sighed, propping his chin on top of his folded arms on the table. “That I don’t know when to quit.”

“I hardly see that as a flaw,” Herbert offered and Dan sniffed, giving him a watery smile in return but not looking at him.

Herbert recognised that Dan was vulnerable. He wore his heart on his sleeve and the loss of a patient was clearly devastating. Now would be the time to comfort him. Give him an understanding shoulder to cry on. Bond over the inescapable sorrows that came with trying to save lives.

But how?

Should he draw Dan’s head to his chest like some mother coddling her child to her bosom after a nightmare? Or maybe an arm around the shoulders would be better? Offer the invitation and let Dan choose to lay his cheek against Herbert’s welcoming collar.

He swallowed thickly. This was proving difficult.

He reached out hesitantly, his hand hovering by Dan’s ear for a moment before he let it clap down on his shoulder. Dan jumped, his head snapping up to look at Herbert and Herbert tried to smile though it felt more like a grimace.

“That must be. Quite upsetting for you.” The words grated unnaturally against his teeth.

The corners of Dan’s cracked lips turned up and he placed his hand over Herbert’s, squeezing it. The warmth of Dan’s touch startled him but he didn’t dare pull away. Not when Dan was looking at him like he’d hung the moon.

“Yes,” Dan murmured. “It is. Thank you.”

“You are,” Herbert said, “very welcome.”

As Dan opened his book bag Herbert thought about the glowing, green reagent inside the mini fridge in his room.

Dan couldn’t say what it was about Herbert that made him a constant fixture in Dan’s mind. Maybe it was the snarky curl of his pink mouth and clipped, smooth voice. Maybe it was his ramrod posture and ability to take up all the space in a room just by existing there. Maybe it was his intense, unblinking eyes, which to Dan were like portals straight into that weird and wonderful brain of his. He’d never met anyone like Herbert and he didn’t think he ever would again. And now he was obsessed with him.

He hadn’t felt this way about a guy before and the speed at which his infatuation had wrapped around him like a boa constrictor was making his head spin. If Herbert were a girl Dan would’ve asked him out probably the day he met him, but even though Herbert was strange that wasn’t evidence he was gay, and even if he _was_ gay that didn’t automatically mean he liked Dan back.

It was a situation Dan didn’t know how to navigate. He was contemplating this instead of reading the biology textbook open across his knees when the phone rang. Sighing, he lifted himself from where he was sprawled out on the sofa and picked the landline up from its hook on the wall.

“'Yello?” he answered, expecting Meg or one of his study partners.

“Dan? It’s Herbert.”

The receiver almost slipped from Dan’s grasp and he fumbled to catch it. Trying not to let his increased heartbeat show through his voice he coughed and said, “Oh, Herbert. Uh, hey, what’s up?”

Herbert sounded like his usual put-together self, his words crisp and succinct. “I’ve just finished my shift at the hospital so I know you’re not here, and since you’ve picked up my call that must mean you’re home.”

“Um, yeah, I am home.” Dan felt the smile that always seemed to claim his face whenever he talked to Herbert creeping up on him when something occurred to him and his lips froze. “How did you get my number?”

“Quite easily,” Herbert replied. “I borrowed your file from the student centre.”

“Borrowed as in…stole?”

“Of course not. I returned it as soon as I was done with it.”

A bark of laughter burst from Dan’s throat. God, it was such a _Herbert_ thing to do and that sole fact made, what was on paper creepy and criminal, so endearing.

“I’d like to come over and show you something.”

“Oh?” Dan leaned against the wall and twirled the cord around his finger. “Show me what?”

“You’ll see when I get there. I have your address as well.”

Of course he did.

“Okay,” Dan laughed, “so are you asking me or telling me?”

“That depends,” Herbert said and Dan could hear the smirk in his voice, “if you open the door when I knock.”

“I will,” Dan replied instantly, feeling a hot thrill go through him. “Any time.”

“Excellent. Then I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Before Dan could reply he’d hung up.

Dan stared at the phone for a second, the after-affects of Herbert’s voice leaving him as light as a cloud. Then he looked up, saw the house was a pigsty, and cold panic washed down his back.

He burst into motion, scooping up the unwashed clothes off the floor and throwing them in the laundry hamper. He rushed around, shoving whatever mess he could see out of sight, glancing at the clock whenever he passed it, counting down the seconds to Herbert’s arrival. God, why hadn’t he kept up with regular cleaning? The dishes weren’t done, he hadn’t taken out the trash in days, and he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d vacuumed.

Would Herbert notice the crumbs in the carpet? Probably. He seemed to have a nose for sniffing out anything he deemed unsatisfactory.

He didn’t know why he was trying so hard to make a good impression. What was he expecting? To open his door and find Herbert naked under a trench coat, hot and desperate for Dan’s touch? It was ludicrous, implausible, and definitely not making Dan hot under the collar.

Dan was vigorously scrubbing himself down with soap in the shower when he heard the doorbell ring over the hot spray of water. Cursing, he jumped from the shower, haphazardly wrapped a towel around his hips and all but sprinted for the front door. The bell rang a second time just as Dan ripped the door open and saw Herbert standing on his porch, finger still raised.

“Herbert! Hey!” Dan panted, his chest heaving, trying his best to casually lean against the door frame and pretend he wasn’t dripping wet and naked all but for a towel.

Herbert’s lips parted in surprise and his piercing eyes grew huge behind his glasses as he took in the state of Dan. “Is this a bad-?”

“Nope! Not at all! If you could wait _right here-_ “ Dan turned and dashed to his room before Herbert could utter a sound.

He emerged again a minute later, buttoning up his shirt, cheeks stinging from embarrassment. Herbert was sitting on the sofa with his briefcase beside him, his ankles crossed and his hands folded in his lap as his eyes surveyed the living room. He looked amused when Dan appeared.

“Sorry about that,” Dan said, coughing into his fist.

Herbert waved him off. “Don’t apologise, it’s your home. You can roam in whatever state of dress or… _undress_ that you want.”

Dan flushed even hotter. His face must’ve looked like a ripe cherry. “I was just, um, taking a shower.”

Herbert held his gaze and smiled, though his eyes stayed round. “Yes,” was all he said.

A beat of silence and Dan folded his arms over his chest, wishing he could wind the clock back two minutes.

“So you, uh, wanted to show me something?”

“I wanted to ask you something first.” Herbert uncrossed his legs and scooted over on the sofa. Dan sat down beside him slowly, hyper-aware of how close their thighs were to touching.

“I’m all ears,” Dan said.

Herbert smiled and he had that keen glint in his eye Dan had seen maybe twice. Usually when arguing a point against Dr. Hill in class. It was equal parts cocky and mischievous and made Dan lean closer to catch every word.

“Why,” Herbert began, watching Dan closely, “did you decide to study to become a doctor?”

The simple question had Dan letting out a surprised breath. He’d answered every variation of this question a hundred times.

“To help people,” he replied simply and Herbert hummed like he’d been expecting this answer. Just the thought that he hadn’t lived up to whatever expectations Herbert had made him want to gobble the words back up and try again.

“Very noble,” Herbert commented, drumming his fingers against his knee.

“What about you?” Dan asked. “You have a different reason? Money? Prestige?”

“No and no.” Herbert pushed his glasses up his nose. “I have little want for money and I don’t care what people think of my work.”

“Then why?” Dan could feel that Herbert was leading up to something, building up his intrigue and anticipation brick by brick.

Herbert broke his hypnotic gaze from Dan and leaned back. The tip of his tongue flicked out to wet his drying lips so of course Dan was now staring at his mouth.

“Do you ever wonder about where humanity could be if the greatest minds in history had persevered past their expiration date?” Herbert mused, a spark igniting in his irises. “Just think of it. What our species could have accomplished by now if Newton, Galileo, Einstein, _every_ genius, had lived a hundred— _a thousand_ —years.” He turned suddenly, bringing one leg up on the sofa cushion and leaning into Dan’s space. “Would we be traversing galaxies yet unknown? Have discovered the cure, not just for cancer, but _all_ illness? Imagine that, Dan. A world where doctors like us are obsolete.”

Their faces were only inches apart and Dan could feel the excited puff of Herbert’s breath against his lips. He swallowed and his throat clicked, but he kept his eyes trained on Herbert’s, which were now completely alight with passion.

“It’s a nice thought,” Dan croaked.

“But what if it wasn’t just a nice thought?” Herbert countered and gripped Dan’s forearm, his thumb sliding into the soft crook of his elbow. “What if there were a way to remove death from the equation?”

“That would be-“ Dan’s fingers found the edge of Herbert’s suit jacket, “-amazing.”

Dan was thinking of closing the distance between them and kissing him when the front door swung open.

“ _Daaaan_ ,” a female voice sang and Herbert jolted away from him. Dan cursed and scrambled to sit upright just as Meg strolled in, swinging her book bag by her side. “I brought cassettes this time so sorry but we’re not listening to your disco-“

She stopped abruptly when she saw them, her bag swaying in her grip. “Oh. Uh, hey. Did you-?”

“Who’re you?” Herbert cut in and Dan nudged him at his rudeness but Herbert shrugged him off.

Meg blinked, taking Herbert in with an arched eyebrow. “Uh, I’m who Dan’s supposed to be studying with right now.” She sliced her gaze to Dan and he winced.

“Ah, shit, sorry. I totally forgot.” Dan stood up, hoping to fill the weird distance between him and Herbert on the sofa and Meg standing in the doorway. He wiped his clammy palms down his jeans and gestured, “Um, this is Herbert-“

“West. Herbert West,” Herbert cut in again, rising from the sofa. His gaze had gone from animated to icy in seconds as he surveyed Meg. “And you are?”

Meg gave him a wry smile. “Halsey. Megan Halsey.” Dan didn’t think he was imagining her mocking tone and wanted to give her an elbow too.

“Halsey?” Herbert cocked an eyebrow. “Any relation to the Dean Alan Halsey?”

Meg’s eyes were matching Herbert’s in temperature as she hummed. “He’s my father.”

Dan’s gaze bounced back and forth between them, not liking the cool current circulating from their matching frowns. He decided he needed to take action.

“Herbert came from studying in Switzerland not too long ago. We have class together,” he stated, jabbing a thumb at Herbert.

“Amongst other things,” Herbert added and Dan gawked at him.

Meg just patted her cheek. “Switzerland, huh? I’ve heard it’s beautiful. You must miss it.”

“Quite. Though I much prefer the company here.” He didn’t look at Dan as he said it but still Dan blushed. “Well,” he stooped quickly to grab his briefcase and walked swiftly for the door, “I’d best be going. I wouldn’t want to intrude.” He paused in the open doorway to lock eyes with Dan, his glasses catching the light. “We will continue this discussion another time. Hopefully with more privacy.” Then he closed the door and was gone.

The silence between them last three whole seconds before Meg turned on him and said, “what was that?”

“Nothing,” Dan answered quickly, then said “What was what?”

Meg’s mouth fell open to an incredulous smile and she folded her arms. “Did I interrupt your date?”

“Meg, don’t be stupid.” Dan sat back down and grabbed up his book, doing his best to ignore her and his burning cheeks. “It’s not like that. _He’s_ not like that.”

“He was looking at you like he wanted to eat you alive,” she shot back, snatching the book from his hands. He made a show of protesting but she shut him down with a look.

“We were just…having an academic discussion,” he settled on.

“Oh, is that why your shirt’s half open?” She flicked his exposed chest and Dan realised he mightn’t have looked as put-together as he’d have liked. “Jesus,” she sighed as he quickly buttoned his shirt all the way up, “I can’t believe you.”

“What?” Dan asked innocently and she shook her head.

“ _Him?_ Come on, Dan.”

“What?” His voice rose an octave.

“He’s creepy! I’ve known him for one minute and I already know I never want to see him again.”

“Geez, Meg, tell me how you really feel,” he muttered, feeling a little offended on Herbert’s behalf.

Meg held her hands up. “I’m just saying, if you go home with him and he tries to skin you for a human suit, don’t say I never told you so.”

Dan rolled his eyes and grabbed the book back from her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

But as they read together in peaceful silence he couldn’t stop thinking about Herbert. About his spiel on dead geniuses, the excitement in his voice, the briefcase he gripped so fervently. He also couldn’t stop remembering Herbert’s hand on his arm and his breath on his mouth.

Dan wished he’d kissed him. He wished Meg had forgot to study too.

Herbert was positively fuming. He didn’t care that everyone he passed in the hospital halls jumped at his stomping footsteps and leaped out of his way as though he was emanating some toxic fumes. He ignored all the wild looks he got because his mind was focused on how much he hated Meg Halsey.

The stupid bitch had ruined his moment with Dan. He’d had him, right there, snagged on the end of his thread, looking at Herbert like he held all the secrets of the universe. He could have asked Dan for anything in that moment and he was certain he’d give it on a silver platter. But then she had to waltz in and shatter that perfect moment like an egg. And Herbert had the yolk on his face.

Dan had been quick to apologise the next day but Herbert shrugged him off.

“I understand completely,” Herbert said, not slowing his pace as Dan tried to fall into step beside him. “Women are the highest priority, are they not?”

“Meg’s not my…woman,” Dan stumbled to stay. “We’re just friends. I mean, we used to date—but not anymore!” He winced when Herbert looked at him. He definitely wasn’t glaring. “It started casual but then it started getting serious, but it didn’t work out. I mean, we were hiding it from her father and I wanted to get married and she didn’t-“

 _“How nice!”_ Herbert’s voice came out more shrill than he intended if Dan’s flinch was anything to go on. He halted mid-stride, almost tripping Dan over. “But it’s really none of my business who you spend your time with. After all,” he tipped his head up to catch Dan’s pretty eyes with his, “we’re just classmates. Nothing more.”

He slipped past the door to radiology and let it shut behind him. He didn’t hear Dan follow him and didn’t turn to check.

“Mr. West! You are out of line!”

“And _you’re_ out of your mind!”

Herbert didn’t pay any mind to his classmates gawking at him, he continued to stare down Hill, who faced him back, his lips peeled back from his teeth. Herbert didn’t care if he was angry, the hot ire in his chest had been swelling like a mad balloon all lesson and now had finally popped, filling Herbert with a righteous indignation at the so-called scientist.

“Why don’t you lobotomise them all now?” Herbert threw a hand out to his fellow classmates. “It’ll at least save them all the school fees.”

Hill’s fists shook by his side, his fingers curled so tight they threatened to rip through his rubber gloves. “If you don’t stop this idiotic show right now-“

“As opposed to the genius display you’re giving us right now?” Herbert interjected, gesturing at the exposed brain splattered in the Petri dish. He shook his head. “If everyone thought like you we never would’ve made it past the Stone Age, Mr. Hill-“

“That’s _Dr_. Hill,” Hill cut in, his voice going low as he narrowed his eyes at Herbert. “ _Doctor_. Something you’ll never be if you continue living in that fantasy world of yours.” He peeled off one of his gloves, the rubber snapping against his hand as he stepped towards Herbert. “If you’re anything like that old dunce, Gruber, then may I suggest leaving the field of medicine and maybe investing in a solid fiction career to chase your mad ideas? I’m sure you’d fit right in amongst Lewis Carroll.”

A spatter of laughter floated up from behind him and Hill gave a mocking smile.

Herbert clenched his teeth, feeling a muscle in his jaw pop out. “ _You_ might call them crazy but at least they’re my ideas.” Hill’s eyes blew wide with anger and Herbert pressed on. “Something which can’t be said for you!”

Hill threw aside his glove, looming over Herbert but Herbert didn’t back down—he’d learnt not to be intimidated by Meer size—and held a shaking finger up to his chest.

“You will never be a doctor,” Hill hissed, so quietly Herbert could barely hear him. “You’ll never be anything but a failure. Just like that old, dead fool.” He spun around and stalked out the door. “Class dismissed!”

Herbert glared at his back until the door swung shut. The heavy silence made him twist around and see ten pairs of round eyes glued to him. Their gazes felt itchy on Herbert’s skin so he sneered at them and made his own swift exit.

He was half way down the hall when a hand caught his arm.

“Woah, Herbert-“ It was Dan. His lips were parted and short, shallow breaths panted from him. “Are you okay? That was a little intense.”

Herbert ripped his arm free. “I’m fine!” His blood was roaring in his ears, and all the eyes and Dan’s touch on him was too much-- _too much_.

Dan held his hands up like he was trying to placate Herbert, which just infuriated him more. “Hill can be a real piece of work, but maybe you should tone it down a bit.”

“He’s an idiot,” Herbert spat. “And so are you if you think like him.”

Dan blinked. “Herbert-“

“Men like him just blindly follow what they’re told,” Herbert shouted and Dan looked around like he was afraid he was in the centre of a scene, but Herbert didn’t care. That old, familiar fire which had come from so many Carl Hills telling him he was crazy, that had kept him warm and determined over the years was alight anew in his chest. He mashed his finger into Dan’s sternum, leaning close. “They see the world like they think they know every fibre of it. They dig their heels in and hold the rest of us back. But not me!” He stepped away from Dan, who was staring at him, speechless. “I won’t be chained down by their dull minds. To do so would be the ultimate failure.”

Once again Herbert turned from Dan and walked away. If he couldn’t keep up with him then Herbert would just have to accept Dan for the man he was: a good doctor, but not a true scientist.

The white halls of the hospital stretched out before Dan like something from a bad dream. He’d always hated the hospital after school hours, once the sun had gone down and the E.R was flooded with injured gang members, riddled with bullet wounds. He knew he shouldn’t be there. He should be at home, catching a few hours of much-needed sleep, cramming in some studying—Hell, _anything_ else—but when he saw Herbert sneak into the morgue he couldn’t help but follow.

He hadn’t been able to get Herbert off his mind, which was nothing new, but since his public row with Hill and the words he’d hissed at Dan afterwards, Dan hadn’t been able to close his eyes without seeing Herbert’s face branded on his eyelids. This had been a big problem when he’d tried sleeping that night, as Herbert’s burning eyes and spirited voice plagued his every thought. Dan knew this was all past a simple crush when he imagined Herbert laying next to him. Just the thought of Herbert’s weight dipping into the same mattress as Dan made him want to snuggle into that bed and never leave again. But it was just a nice thought.

He’d been ready to go home to another sleepless night when he’d spotted Herbert slinking around the corner. His hunched shoulders and shifty eyes told Dan he was up to something, and while Dan couldn’t imagine _what_ he might be up to he didn’t doubt Herbert was capable of breaking some rules. He’d proven that by stealing Dan’s file. So he followed him.

The security desk was empty save for a little scrap of paper helpfully reading ‘gone fishin’ coupled with a crude drawing of a winking fish. Dan rolled his eyes and followed through the door, left ajar open. He stepped into the autopsy room, finding it empty. Just chrome table tops and rows of scalpels. A loud thud made Dan jump and suck in a breath. He slowly approached the door to the morgue, his heart a jack hammer in his chest.

 _Calm down_ , he told himself, though he was breaking into a cold sweat. _It’s just Herbert, what’re you so worried about?_

But his own thoughts did little to soothe him. More thuds and hisses rang in his ears as he raised his shaking hand to grip the door handle. A sense of foreboding washed over him and he considered just turning away there; forget he ever saw anything and go home. But then he heard the unmistakable sound of Herbert crying out and he ripped the door open.

Herbert’s name was on Dan’s lips but he was struck dumb by the sight in front of him. Herbert had his back to the wall, trying to fend off a very naked man, who was clawing at his face with bloodied fingers. Herbert’s eyes were wild and his lips were peeled back from his teeth as he gripped at the man’s wrists, trying in vain to wrestle him to the side.

Dan knew he should move, help Herbert, do something, but he was rooted to the spot. He could only stare. The man attacking Herbert looked normal enough from a distance but once Dan’s eyes adjusted to the darkness he saw how pale and ashy his skin was, how his veins protruded against his skin like pulsating snakes, and how the blood ran freely from his snarling mouth, dripping down his chin. It was _awful_. Inhuman.

Herbert’s eyes darted over the thing’s shoulder and locked for an instant with Dan’s.

Recognition flashed there and he screamed, “Dan! You can’t be here!”

That small lapse in focus was enough for the thing to grab at Herbert’s shirt and toss him to the side like a rag doll. Herbert flew across the room, smacking into a cart holding another body, and fell to the ground in a heap. It quickly advanced on him again and sirens blasted through Dan’s head, throwing him into action. He didn’t know what he was doing when he jumped on the thing’s back, just that he had to protect Herbert. He wrapped his arms around around it’s neck in a headlock and the creature grabbed at his wrists. Dan marvelled at it’s strength as it easily backed Dan up into the wall, knocking the breath from his lungs. He lost his grip and crumpled to the floor, his chest screaming and tears springing to his eyes.

He heard the ghoulish wail before he could blink the mist from his eyes. The blurry white and red shape reached out for him and Dan wondered if it would truly act like an animal and go for his neck. It could probably break him like a twig with just one squeeze. He threw his hands up but the creature stopped short with a harsh bark. Dan gasped as the thing coughed up a mouthful of blood, red spittle running from its horrible lips, before it collapsed in front of Dan with an axe buried between its shoulder blades.

Herbert stood heaving over the fallen heap, his arms painted red up to his elbows. His crisp, white shirt looked like a crime scene and a few drops of blood had landed on his glasses, which were remarkably unbroken. He shook off the gore from his hands as though it were pesky mud under his fingernails and he looked to Dan.

“What-“ Dan’s throat was tight, squeezing his words and making them high and reedy. “Who was-? I don’t-“

“Shhh.” Herbert dropped to his knees beside him, his hands resting on Dan’s shoulders. “I’m sorry you had to see it this way. This wasn’t how I wanted this to happen.”

“Herbert, what _is_ that!?” Dan shouted, pushing Herbert’s hands off him.

“ _That_ is life recaptured.” He looked at the body which lay in a pool of dark blood and clicked his tongue. “Well. Not anymore.”

“This isn’t real,” Dan panted. He couldn’t catch his breath, every inhale filling his chest with searing hotness. “It can’t be.” He wanted this to be over. Desperately he wanted to wake up in his bed and find it had all been a bad, sleep-deprived dream.

“It is-“ Herbert cupped the back of Dan’s neck, gently steering his head back so Dan had to look through his blood-speckled glasses and into his eyes, “-very real.”

A low whine spilled from Dan’s lips, the horror of it all sending his stomach plummeting into an icy pit. When Herbert pulled him forward he could do little more than let his head be guided into Herbert’s chest. Dan clutched at his shirt, still wet with blood that wasn’t his, and shivered as Herbert stroked his hair and whispered things Dan couldn’t hear.

Herbert set a steaming mug down in front of Dan. He hadn’t responded when asked if he was a tea or coffee man so Herbert had decided for him and went with tea. Earl grey, his personal favourite.

Dan just stared blankly at the mug, only moving to pull the blanket Herbert had thrown at him tighter around his shoulders. He hadn’t said much of anything since Herbert had brought him back to his detestable dorm room. His eyes were glassy and his whole body was slack and defeated.

Herbert, though, was ecstatic. Yes, there had been some complications with the initial reanimation, but the outcome was the same.

“Now you see what I’ve spent so long working on. What tonight proved is actually possible. Incredible, isn’t it?”

“You know,” Dan mumbled, rubbing at his eyes, “when you said you wanted to show me something I was expecting. Not this.”

“I don’t know why you’re acting so desolate. This was a success! Of course it needs work, a few bugs to sort out here and there, but the result was more than anyone could imagine!” He paused in his pacing to look to his guest. “Dan?”

“I just spent,” Dan began, still staring at the mug, “an hour cleaning up blood and then sewing up an axe wound in a corpse that tried to kill me.” He turned his gaze, suddenly furious, at Herbert. “What about that is a success?”

Herbert slid onto the sofa beside him, gripping the cushioned back. He was so hyped up on adrenaline he thought he might be at risk of vibrating off the seat. “We accomplished something that doctors have only dreamed of. _Bringing the dead back to life.”_

“What do you mean _we?”_ Dan eased back but Herbert followed him.

“You saved me back there. If you hadn’t shown up when you did I might not be sitting here.” He thought for a moment then put his hand on Dan’s knee, tipping his head down to look up at him from beneath his lashes. “I need you, Dan. I can’t do this alone.”

“Herbert…” Dan trailed off then shook his head. “We need to tell someone about this. Dean Halsey-“

“No,” Herbert said a little sharper than he intended and sighed, softening his voice. “No, not Halsey. Not yet.”

“Why not? Don’t you realise how big this is?”

Herbert just shook his head. “He wouldn’t understand. None of them would. I just need more time. If you helped me-“

Dan stood suddenly, the blanket and Herbert’s hand falling from him. He raked his hands through his hair and loosed a shaky breath. “This is all just- so much. I can’t think right now. I- I have to go.”

He grabbed his jacket, zipping it up over his bloodstained clothes and made for the door but Herbert raced after him, catching his wrist just as he reached for the knob. Dan whipped around to look at him and Herbert took a steadying breath. After everything the thought of Dan leaving was…unpleasant.

“You’re the only person I’ve ever shown this to.” He wanted to squeeze the impression into Dan’s arm, communicate everything through that touch. “The only one. I hope I don’t regret it.”

Dan’s lips parted and for a moment Herbert thought he might say something. But then he turned away and vanished out the door. It closed with a soft click behind him, and the silence, which Herbert often found peace and solace in, was suffocating.

Dan didn’t show up to class the next day. The seat he normally occupied beside Herbert was instead filled by a drab-looking woman in a knitted vest. She definitely didn’t have Dan’s charming smile. Herbert didn’t realise he would miss him until he suddenly wasn’t there. He supposed he’d grown accustomed to Dan whispering joking comments in his ear and leaning over his shoulder to watch him write his notes. But now Herbert felt his absence like a missing limb and it disturbed him.

As soon as class let out for the day Herbert swept his jacket about his shoulders and made for the exit. If there was one thing he hated it was idleness.

Dan stared up at the ceiling, watching the fan spin around and the shadows flicker. He’d pulled the curtains down, only letting a thin slice of sunlight peek through, which had slowly ebbed and died as the day went on into night. He had made the executive decision to skip class for the first time since starting med school that day. Half because he didn’t think his brain could focus on schoolwork and half because he didn’t know what he’d say when he saw Herbert.

Since the events of yesterday the axis of his mind had been flipped. All he could think of was Herbert. Re-agent. Re-animation. Life, death, and a place he’d never known existed between the two until he’d seen it with his own eyes. This was a situation far beyond his comprehension and he didn’t know how to deal with it. He knew, logically, he should go to the police. Or at the very least the school.

But if he did that he didn’t know what would happen to Herbert.

Dan knew if Meg were here she’d tell him he was being crazy, that Herbert was crazy, and to hesitate turning him in for even a second was absolutely crazy. But Meg didn’t know Herbert like he did. He doubted anyone did.

Dan thought of the walk they’d taken between classes a few days ago. The wind was crisp as they strolled around the duck pond not too far from the hospital. They stopped at a shallow lip of water and as Dan threw little chunks of his bagel to the ducks Herbert remarked how he used to steal the top slice of bread from the pantry and feed the ducks by his house when he was a kid. When Dan had looked at him the look on Herbert’s face told him he was surprised at himself, as though the words had slipped unbidden from his lips. He quickly changed the subject but now Dan forever had the image of a young Herbert sneaking out of home to feed stolen bread to the neighbourhood ducks filed away in his head. It made his chest feel light just thinking about it.

A loud banging ripped Dan from his daydream and he quickly rolled out of bed, almost face-planting on the floor. He pulled on some pants as he hopped towards the knocking, wondering if maybe Meg had noticed his absence today. When he opened the door however, it wasn’t Meg’s face that greeted him, but Herbert’s.

The sight of him had all those horrible thoughts from yesterday flooding back. This Herbert was not a sweet, young boy who fed ducks but a clinical man intent on raising the dead.

Before Dan could say anything Herbert was staring straight at his bare chest and huffing a laugh. “Is this how you usually greet all your guests or am I just special?”

“Herbert,” Dan sighed, scrubbing at his eyes. He was already tired. “What’re you doing here?”

“I had to talk to you,” Herbert replied, pushing past him, into the living room.

Dan threw his hands up. “Sure, come right in.” He turned to see Herbert standing with his arms folded behind his back, surveying the family pictures Dan had hung on the wall. Irritation flared up in his forehead. “You know, now’s not a really good time-“

“It’s the perfect time.” Herbert swung round on his heel and was instantly in Dan’s space. He was shorter but didn’t seem to know that as he stared fiercely up at Dan. “You can act as distraught as you want but I saw the excitement in you yesterday. I recognised it. I know because I feel it too.”

Dan wanted to deny it but the memory of the wonder mixed in amongst the disgust plagued him. He was ashamed by it and wanted that shame and Herbert to leave but then Herbert brought his hand up to cup Dan’s cheek and the touch froze him. Herbert stepped even closer until they were almost chest-to-chest.

“You’re capable of so much Dan,” he said softly and Dan shivered. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to Herbert saying his name. “You don’t need to be afraid.”

Dan turned his face away but Herbert’s touch followed him. Dan hated it. Wanted to sink into it and never get out. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

“Fine,” Herbert said, voice knife-sharp. “Then let’s not talk.” His other hand landed on Dan’s face and then he was pulling him into a bruising kiss.

Dan sucked a breath in through his nose and Herbert pressed closer, forcing him back a step. He gripped Herbert’s arms just as Herbert ripped away from him and left Dan gaping like a fish.

Dan swallowed thickly. “Have you-?”

Herbert kissed him again, pulling Dan flush against him and Dan moaned, too lost in the heady rush to get embarrassed. He grabbed Herbert’s slim waist, tilting his head and deepening the kiss. Herbert gasped against his mouth and Dan swiped his tongue along the parted seam of his lips. They were soft, and his breath was warm, and his hands quivered where they held Dan’s face, and he was leaning all his weight against him, like the only thing holding him up were Dan’s hands on his waist. He was amazing and making all the blood rush from his head.

It was all happening too fast, Dan knew that, but he loved it too. After having Herbert stuck in his brain for so long, to be able to touch and kiss him was like reaching the promised land.

Dan tore himself away, their laboured breathing mixing in the air between them. “Is this okay?” he panted.

Herbert’s lips were shiny from Dan’s tongue and it made him want to fall to his knees right there but he stayed up as Herbert licked at his kiss-swollen lips.

“It’s more than okay.” His voice was husky and his hands dropped from Dan’s face to his chest. He spread his palms out against the flat skin of his pecs and cleared his throat. “You really are. Something.”

Dan laughed at that. “It’s not how I greet all my guests, by the way.”

He gripped Herbert’s tie and pulled him in for another searing kiss. Herbert’s mouth was stiff against his, either from lack of experience or nerves—Dan suspected it was probably both—but he kept pressing closer, intent on opening him up. Holding Herbert in his arms was like holding a chestnut roasting over a fire; he vibrated with every touch of Dan’s hands as though he would spontaneously combust at any second.

They stumbled through the house, refusing to part for air and raking their hands over each other, until they reached Dan’s room. Dan kicked the door open and guided Herbert to the bed, all the while furiously tugging at his clothes. He’d managed to shed Herbert of his belt and tie when the backs of Herbert’s knees hit the lip of the mattress and he fell back, bouncing a few times on the bedsprings. Dan took a second to ingrain the image of Herbert flushed and dishevelled, looking up at him with impatient eyes, into his mind before he followed, crawling over him.

Dan resisted the urge to drown himself in Herbert, to lap at the beads of sweat dotting his pale throat and rut against him until they both came undone. No, instead he sat back on his haunches and unbuttoned Herbert’s shirt, trying to will his fingers to stay steady. It was hard though with Herbert devouring him with his eyes and stroking his hands up and down Dan’s thighs.

Dan was no stranger to sex but Herbert’s smouldering gaze and wondering hands, creeping closer to Dan’s crotch with every pass had him just about ready to burst into flames. He had infected Dan, body and mind, and now Dan was desperately sick for him.

Herbert sat up as Dan pushed his shirt from his shoulders but when he went to ease Herbert back down he halted Dan with a hand to his collar. Dan leaned back, afraid for a second that maybe he’d been too eager and Herbert didn’t actually want this, but then Herbert shoved at his chest, flipping Dan over. Dan’s vision swam as his back hit the mattress and he opened his eyes as Herbert pinned his knees to Dan’s sides, straddling him.

“Oh,” Dan’s breath fluttered out of him.

Herbert’s answering smile stretched across his face, pulling at the creases of his cheeks like folds of waxy paper. The expanse of his chest was smooth and pale, the pink of his nipples matching his pert lips. Little tufts of his hair stood up like duckling feathers from Dan’s hands raking through it. Dan found it equal parts hot and adorable.

Herbert sat down on him and Dan surpassed a moan. He was rock hard and certain that Herbert could feel it against his ass. Dan was tempted to grab his hips and grind up into him but then Herbert was shuffling back and reaching for Dan’s fly.

Dan’s breath caught in his throat just as Herbert’s hand paused at the zipper. Dan, his blood all pounding in one direction, looked desperately to Herbert who was staring at the bulge of Dan’s crotch like an equation he couldn’t quite figure out.

“Is-“ Dan swallowed and his throat clicked, “-is something wrong?”

“Uh, no, nothing wrong,” Herbert replied, scratching at his jaw. “I’ve just. Hm. Never…done this before.”

“Oh,” Dan said, then immediately after, “With a guy? Me neither.”

Herbert sighed through his nose. “With anyone.”

 _“Oh.”_ Dan tried to ignore the thrill that went through him at Herbert’s words. He slowly rubbed his hands up the length of Herbert’s clothed thighs, itching to go higher but exercising some self control. “Uh, that’s okay. Here, just-“

He gently pushed Herbert’s hand aside and unzipped his jeans, pushing them down his legs. His cock stood up against his stomach and he tried not to shiver as Herbert looked him over.

“Commando, huh?” Herbert said wryly, slowly scraping his fingernails down Dan’s abs. “So clothes really are an afterthought?”

“It’s just more comfortable—look just-“

He grabbed Herbert’s wrist where he was slowly rubbing his thumbs in circles over Dan’s hipbones and pulled him towards where he desperately needed to be touched.

“So forceful, Dan,” Herbert teased but he wrapped his fingers around Dan’s aching cock and Dan’s head hit the pillow.

He moaned as Herbert pumped his hand, Dan keeping an iron-tight grip on his wrist and thrusting into his grip. Herbert’s hands were soft but his fingers were long and meticulous, Dan had watched him deftly roll his pencil between them during class. Those fingers had been the subject of more than a few late-night fantasies.

“Yeah, just like that,” Dan said breathlessly as Herbert ran his thumb over the head, slicking the precum already leaking there.

God, he couldn’t believe how much his head was swimming from just a hand job. But it was _Herbert’s_ hand and _Herbert_ staring at him so intently, watching his face for every reaction with his lips parted and shallow breaths puffing in and out of him. Herbert, who Dan had been obsessing over and dreaming about since he’d met him, who now held Dan in the palm of his hand.

The pleasure was quickly building in Dan’s gut, the coil tightening with Herbert’s every stroke. Dan squeezed Herbert’s wrist, “Herbert- I’m gonna-“

But Herbert just sped up the pace, pumping his slick cock and digging his thumb into the groove of Dan’s hip with his free hand. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” He said, his jaw slack as he drank in the sight of Dan. “What you wanted right from the start?”

“Yes,” Dan sobbed, release so, _so_ tantalisingly close. “Yes, I’ve wanted you so bad-“

Herbert suddenly stopped, his hand stilling. “I wonder what you’d do if I just left you like this? Left you like you left me last night.”

“No, Herbert, _please_.” Dan’s voice cracked and he tried to thrust up but Herbert held his hip down, pinning him to the mattress. He whined, high and needy, but he didn’t care, he was _so close_. “Please, I’m sorry. I should’ve stayed, I-“

“I need you, Dan,” Herbert said, his voice low and his eyes unblinking.

“I need you too,” Dan panted, digging his fingers into Herbert’s thigh. “You’re all I think about.”

He must have said the right thing because Herbert instantly was swooping down and kissing him, his movements more sure as Dan moaned into his mouth and clutched at his shoulders. Herbert—graciously, blessedly, oh so sweetly—started stroking Dan’s cock again, his pace hard and fast, building Dan quickly back up to the edge. He ripped free of the kiss, throwing his head back against the pillow and clutching at Herbert, keening into his ear.

Herbert sucked and nipped at his exposed neck. He growled into Dan’s ear, “Come for me.”

Dan choked on his own spit, instantly coming into Herbert’s hand, spilling over his fist, onto his own stomach. Herbert stroked him through it until all the energy was sapped from his muscles, leaving his bones feeling like over-cooked noodles. He went limp on the bed, his breath coming out of him in great, heaving sighs.

As Herbert scooped one of Dan’s dirty shirts off the floor to wipe his soiled hand clean Dan reached for him, pawing at his legs again and reaching around to grab at his ass.

“Let me do you now,” he said but Herbert pushed his hands down.

“That’s alright,” he said. “I don’t need it right now. This was plenty.”

“I want to make you feel good,” Dan murmured, rubbing circles just above the back of Herbert’s knees.

Herbert smiled, his eyes still hooded. “I feel very good.”

“Will you stay?” Dan asked before his mouth could stop. “It’s late,” he added.

Herbert paused and sucked on his lip as though he were thinking it over, then eventually nodded. “I’ll stay.”

Elation flooded Dan’s chest and he knew he was smiling like an idiot but he didn’t care. Herbert was going to spend the night with him. This was great news.

Herbert climbed off the bed and padded over to Dan’s dresser, opening drawers and pulling out clothes. Dan caught the boxers Herbert threw at him then watched as Herbert stripped out of his pants, only standing in his underwear—black briefs, Dan noted—for a second before he was pulling one of Dan’s clean shirts over his head. It was big on him, the hem falling past his hips and the collar dipping down his sternum. Dan’s throat was dry as Herbert approached the bed, climbing under the covers with him. He could definitely get used to Herbert wearing his clothes.

Herbert set his glasses down on the bedside table and settled onto his side, facing away from Dan. Dan shuffled closer until they were almost touching, almost spooning. What he wanted more than anything was to gather Herbert into his arms and hold him forever. But maybe Herbert wasn’t as big on cuddling, in which case just sharing his body heat was amazing.

Dan was quickly slipping into unconsciousness, his eyelids heavy and drooping shut. He reached out and stroked his knuckles against the small of Herbert’s back where Dan’s shirt had bunched up. Herbert shivered at his touch and Dan mumbled into his ear.

“Night, Herbert.”

“Goodnight Dan,” came Herbert’s soft reply in the dark and then Dan was asleep.

He was pretty sure he dreamed of Herbert again that night.

Herbert woke with a snort. A sliver of early morning sunlight cut across his face and he squinted against it, damning ineffective curtains. He tried to reach for his glasses but found a long weight across his body kept his arms pinned. With a start he remembered he wasn’t in his bed and the lug suffocating him was Dan, his arm tossed over Herbert and his face smooshed against his shoulder. Herbert kicked his legs free where they were tangled with the sheets and pinched Dan’s wrist between his thumb and forefinger, carefully lifting his arm away. Dan snuffled into the pillow, burrowing into the sheets as Herbert swung his feet to the ground and stood up.

He was sticky with sweat from Dan being wrapped around him all night like a second skin. That man ran hot as a furnace and Herbert wrinkled his nose. If he’d known Dan was so clingy he might have reconsidered sharing a bed with him.

He picked his clothes off the floor, sighing at the wrinkles in his shirt, but he supposed there were certain prices to pay for spontaneous kissing sessions. He mused on it as he folded his clothes and set them on top of the dresser; Dan had certainly been a good kisser, though Herbert admittedly didn’t have much to judge him against. Still, the way Dan had writhed against him as he’d touched him, the adoration in his eyes as he’d looked up at Herbert from the mussed sheets had been glorious.

He looked at Dan, flopped out on the mattress, and tried to decide what he felt for him. He still saw all the assets that made Dan a perfect companion for him, and he even liked him, which was more than he could say for most people. Maybe Herbert even wanted him the same way Dan clearly wanted Herbert. But he couldn’t be sure. The twist in his chest was knotted in too many directions for him to pull the thread loose and decipher it.

Quietly closing the door behind him he wandered out into the living room. The house was big for just one person, he was surprised Dan could afford it on his own. He poked through Dan’s fridge, finding an assortment of half-empty sandwich condiments and questionable fruit. He opened all the cupboards, cursing loudly when a cat jumped from inside one, until he found a box of Lucky Charms. Eating from the box, he padded down the hall, sticking his head through every door to inspect all the rooms. Mostly what he found was that Dan was a poor housekeeper. What _was_ an interesting find was the last door on the left.

It opened to a staircase, leading down to a mostly clean basement. Herbert paused in his chewing and looked at the large work table, imagining all his tools and equipment set up there. The thick cinderblock walls would make for great sound insulation and keep the place from over-heating. The thought, which had come fleetingly into his mind, snagged and took root until he couldn’t shake it. This place would be perfect. Leagues better than the insufferable dorm room he was currently stuck in.

And he’d have Dan.

It was at this moment two arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a warm, solid body behind him. Herbert jumped, his hands half-way up to rip himself free but then Dan’s voice, low and scratchy from sleep was in his ear.

“Woah, hey, it’s just me,” he chuckled, nosing at Herbert’s neck then pressing a kiss to his pulse point.

“Oh. Dan,” Herbert sighed, holding a hand over his pounding heart. “I didn’t hear you come down.”

Dan hummed in response, nuzzling at Herbert’s throat. His hair tickled Herbert’s cheek as he mouthed at his jaw. He let Dan suck and kiss at the skin there, breathing and relaxing into his grip. Normally he didn’t like to be touched, but Dan was sturdy and smelled nice, his hands soothing Herbert’s nerves as they trailed up and down his sides.

“I woke up and you weren’t there,” Dan said huskily. “I thought maybe you’d left. But then I saw your clothes. Turns out you’re just down here, eating my cereal.”

“Well you didn’t have much else,” Herbert quipped, letting Dan take said cereal box out of his hands and place it on the work bench. He turned in Dan’s arms and Dan squeezed him to that chiseled chest of his. “Aren’t you supposed to make me breakfast? Isn’t that how these things go?”

“I’ll make you breakfast,” Dan said as he kissed him, the words muffled against his mouth. “Anything you want.”

Herbert returned the kiss then eased back. “I want a sesame seed bagel with salmon and cream cheese.”

Dan paused. “Anything but that.” Then he was kissing him again and Herbert couldn’t help but smile against his lips.

It didn’t take long for Dan’s hands to wander down his back, groping at his rear, then lifting him up, onto the table. Herbert wound his arms around Dan’s neck and pulled him close, Dan eagerly stepping between his legs. Herbert found there was a certain methodical process to kissing, a repetition of actions to achieve certain reactions. Dan’s little groans of pleasure pleased him, sent little thrills shooting up his spine that made him squeeze at Dan’s waist with his legs. His mouth was wet with Dan’s spit and the slick slide of their lips against each other was gross on the surface but Herbert found that he liked it. He liked all of this quite a bit. It surprised him, how much he liked it.

“You were so good last night,” Dan whispered against his cheek, pressing wet kisses all over his face. “I want that again. Anything- _Everything_ else.”

“Everything?” Herbert’s voice came out weak as Dan sucked at a spot behind his ear. His legs quivered as Dan’s touch sent little currents of electricity across his skin, threatening to short-circuit his brain.

“Whatever you want to do.” Dan leaned back and already a thin sheen of sweat had beaded on his forehead. “If that is what you want. That is.” He swallowed and Herbert watched his Adam’s apple bob.

Herbert licked at his dry lips, the cool surface of the table against his bare thighs anchoring him to reality. “Everything…sounds great.” The immediate hunger that flashed in Dan’s eyes had Herbert rushing to add, “It’s too bad I live on campus.”

Dan blinked, his breath still heavy with lust. “You don’t like it?”

“No privacy,” Herbert sighed, tipping his head to the side. “Which is _very_ important to me.”

Dan nodded vigourously. “Uh huh, me too.” He went for Herbert’s neck again but Herbert held him back, smiling stiffly.

“If only I had a place like this.” He looked around at the basement. “It’d be perfect for me.”

“Oh. Well, I mean-“ Dan began and Herbert was already ringing the bells of victory. “You could always live here.”

Herbert tried to look surprised, as though this thought hadn’t occurred to him. “Here?”

“Well, yeah. I’ve got the room and it would be nice to, you know.” Dan shrugged and smiled shyly. “Have you around.”

Herbert pulled Dan in with his arms and legs. When they pressed flush together Dan sucked in a sharp breath.

“That _does_ sound nice,” Herbert remarked. “Why don’t we continue this conversation upstairs?”

Dan’s eyes went wide and he quickly stepped back, dropping Herbert back on the ground. “Yeah, let’s do that.” He grabbed Herbert’s hand, leading him up the stairs so fast Herbert almost tripped over.

They made it into the hallway and Dan grabbed him by the waist, no doubt ready to pull him into his bedroom for another round of fevered groping—when a loud knocking came from the door.

Irritation flared in Herbert’s chest as Dan tipped his head back and groaned.

“Expecting someone?” Herbert asked dryly.

“No!” Dan answered and Herbert tore himself away, stomping for the door.

“Then I’ll tell whatever bible-thumper or Girl Scout it is to keep pounding the pavement,” he snapped, reaching for the knob.

“Herbert, no-“ Dan started but Herbert was already ripping the door open.

“We’re not interested in your God or your Thin Mints-!” He cut himself off when he recognised the startled face of Meg Halsey staring back at him. “Oooh,” he sang cheerily, leaning against the doorframe as Meg’s eyes bulged in their sockets. “Miss Halsey. What a pleasant surprise! We weren’t expecting you.”

“Mr. West,” she said, her eyes darting over him, no doubt taking in his dishevelled appearance. “You’re…here.”

“Mm, yes. I live here now.” Her eyes went impossibly wider and Herbert grinned. This was the most fun he could ever imagine having.

“Meg!” Dan appeared at his side, his hands fluttering helplessly in the air between the three of them. “You, uh-“

“You weren’t at the hospital yesterday so I came to check on you,” she murmured, a crease folding between her eyebrows. “But I can see you’re. Hrm. Busy.”

“I-“

“Very busy,” Herbert agreed, placing a hand on Dan’s bare chest. “But don’t worry, we’re keeping each other quite occupied.”

Dan couldn’t seem to close his mouth, his head swivelling from him to Meg. “Uhh-“

“You know, I’m just gonna go.” Meg hefted the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder, backpedaling, down the front porch. “I’ll come back later. Or never.” She turned on her heel and scurried down the pathway.

“Please choose the latter!” Herbert called after her and closed the door, sighing happily. “You know, I think I misjudged Megan. She seems a good sort, actually.”

Dan rubbed at his temples. “You’re gonna kill me.”

Herbert clicked his tongue and wagged a finger in Dan’s face. “On the contrary. I intend to do just the opposite.”

When Dan looked at him, his boyish delight had faded and his expression was more sober. “Herbert, all this stuff that you’re doing, it’s really serious.”

“I’m well aware of that,” Herbert answered curtly. “And it’s not what _I’m_ doing anymore, it’s what _we’re_ doing.

Dan scratched at his jaw, where dark stubble was starting to poke through. “You meant what you said just now? You really want to live with me?”

Herbert grasped Dan’s hand in his own. He’d never had that comforting touch that was supposed to come naturally to doctors, but he hoped that Dan found some guidance in it.

“Dan,” he said, looking into his eyes, “you are parallel to all my wants. They all travel in the same direction.”

Dan smiled though his eyes remained hooded. “You know parallel lines never intersect, right?”

Herbert rolled his eyes. “Don’t take everything so literally.”

“Okay, okay,” Dan laughed, then his hands crept back to Herbert’s hips, gently pulling him in. “So. You still want to continue that conversation from earlier? Now that we’re…upstairs?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Herbert resisted the urge to shove his face away.

“I’m still waiting on that bagel,” he replied instead and Dan groaned.

“Fine. Wait right here while I get dressed. There’s a deli five minutes away.” He turned to dash to his room then paused and spun back around. “Actually, maybe you should put some pants on. Not everyone can appreciate this get-up like me.”

Herbert huffed a laugh as Dan raced to his room. He considered then that what he was doing was not what he had first envisioned when he’d seen Dan. He’d thought convincing Dan to help him would be more of an academic endeavour, not a…what ever this was. But still, he thought that maybe he preferred it this way. He now had a spacious house to live in, the promise of his favourite bagel on the way, and all delivered by an, admittedly, very handsome man. A man who was smitten with him.

There were certainly worse things in life.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated. Follow me on tumblr @ crocodile-queen for re-animator ramblings and doodles. Cheers!


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